In This Life and the Next: A Story of Love’s True Powers

By Albert Huggins Jr.

Until Sam Connelly is in his late twenties, he leads a relatively normal life. He grows up, goes to college, falls in love, and gets married. Then, on April 12, 2016, he leaps in front of a moving vehicle to save the life of his wife, Caroline. Although the car miraculously bends around him, Sam still dies of his injuries.

He then awakens in another world, the Land of the Promised, the place where all things begin and end and begin again. Soon Sam becomes a member of an elite force called the Protectors, a group commissioned by Ekon himself to defend the Land of the Promised and save the souls of Hinterland. Meanwhile, the ruthless Castro Thorn and his band of Marauders are looking for new souls to deceive. Thorn and his men use trickery in order to gain slaves and new members of his military; he is amassing a great army and plans to wage war on the Land of the Promised.

Sam believes it is his destiny to stop Thorn before the war begins.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532083914

Albert Huggins Jr.

Albert Huggins Jr. fell in love with writing at a young age, beginning with poetry. With a focus on fantasy, he writes from a philosophical place in his mind, which helps him formulate his ideas and conceptualize the forces of the world around him, seen and invisible. Albert is married and has a son. He currently lives in Fishers, Indiana.

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Prologue

H AVE YOU EVER known that you had something great inside of you? Not the potential for greatness, but that you had the power to feel so deeply that it made you stronger physically? The power that love wields is greater than any force in this life or the next. As humans, some feel the potential for the depths of love. We know that people are willing to kill for it, steal for it, live for it, cry for it, or even die for it.

Love is a boundless power. It is the connection that binds the entire universe together. Love allows beings like me to see past my own self into the lives of others. I can also see events that have already happened. I’ve harnessed love’s energy in the physical form one time on Earth. But I could always feel it coursing through my veins.

We’d met one time as kids.

The year was 2000 and I was a husky twelve-year-old. I was about five feet four inches and my skin was dark brown. I usually wore some type of oversized jersey because I thought it would make it harder to tell my weight. I’d always looked younger than my age but was more mature than my peers. It was the year before I started swimming competitively so most people would have called me chubby.

My parents, my brother, and I were on our traditional Memorial Day picnic in Eagle Creek State Park located on the far west side of Indianapolis. Deer and rabbits moved among the trees, which were thick with green leaves that lined the dirt bicycle trails. I remember the smell of grilled burgers and hot dogs as my dad would cook the first round of food. My dad was a master griller or at least I thought so. He always brought his own grill because the park’s grills were too small and rusty.

This particular year, I saw a young girl riding her bike down one of the paths in the park. She looked to be about my age or a year younger. I can’t say why I felt so drawn to her. She was just a girl, I remembered thinking. She had peach colored skin that had a slight tan from the summer months. Her bright golden hair stretched slightly past her shoulders. Her blue-gray eyes seemed to glitter when the sun hit her face in just the right way. I don’t remember noticing a girl’s features so much before that day.

Her pink Schwinn bike had matching pink and white streamers flowing from the end of each handlebar and a banana seat with a flower or butterfly design on it. Like most boys my age, I didn’t care too much for girls back then. At least, not until that day. She seemed so carefree with her hair blowing in the wind as she glided up and down the hilly trails.

As I continued to watch the girl ride her bicycle around the park, she glanced over at me. I quickly looked down at my feet. Maybe she didn’t see me, I said to myself. I looked back up and there she was, much closer than I had realized. The girl was heading towards me. Strangely, she was smiling.

Hey there. Do you want to play? she asked. The sound of her voice made me feel strange.

Uh, yeah sure, I replied.

Do you know how to slide? the little girl asked.

Nervously, I asked, You mean as in baseball?

No silly! It’s like patty cake but you want to see how high you can count up to without messing up. Here, I’ll show you, she said as she grabbed my hands.

She placed her soft hands on either side of mine. My body started to tingle. I felt warm and at home. I had never held a girls hand before unless you count my mother’s. But holding mom’s hand was different from what I was feeling.

Interrupting my thoughts she said, Now put your other hand on mine.

Uh, okay, I said, placing my hand on hers.

First we will go slow… until you get the hang of it, she said coaching me through the game. Next, she slowly pulled her hands away prompting me to do the same. As she pulled, she said almost singingly, Sliiiide. Unhurriedly saying the words in rhythm to her pulling away. Then she clapped her hand and I clapped mine.

She held up her right hand. You hold up your right hand, she said tenderly. The girl slapped my hand as one does in patty cake. Now your other hand, she said, still moving at a slow and steady pace. After that, she held up both of her hands. Again, I followed. We high fived our front palms, then the back of our hands, and we clapped our hands together.

Alright! she said with a smile and a hint of excitement.

I let out a nervous laugh.

Now we do it again but this time, twice. She said ready to pick up the pace.

Ok! I replied like an eager pupil. We must have played that game for an hour. I got better with each attempt. We would laugh out loud every time one of us messed up.

After about an hour had passed, her father called her away from me. Coming dad… Well, I have to go, she said.

My name… it’s… Sam, I said in a timid voice.

She giggled as she started back toward her father then said, Ok, Sam. I had fun playing with you.

What’s yours? I yelled at the back of her head as she rode away on her bike.

At first, I didn’t think she heard me but then she looked back and shouted Carrie or Carol. I could not make it out. But she gave me her name and I decided to just call her Carrie. Not that I’d ever see her again but it seemed proper to remember just in case.

My dad had already grilled the second round of meat, which was ribs and chicken quarters. My mom had the sides and plates laid out on a park bench for our family picnic. I quickly grabbed my favorite foods from the spread and sat at a bench table that faced the bike trails so that I could see if Carrie rode past. She did.

As she rode her bike, she had made it to a bend in the path. At the same time, I noticed a car cruising down the same path from the opposite end. This was not just any car. It was a baby blue and white 1972 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron. Carrie saw the car only a split second before it was about to hit her. I was frozen in fear and couldn’t yell at her to look out.

The driver of the car was my Grandfather. He had come to join us for our picnic. He saw the little girl at the last second and jammed on his breaks as quickly as he could. The car was so big and huge that it took time to make a complete stop. Carrie just barely escaped by jumping off her bike into the gravel road. She lied on the ground crying. Her bike was crushed by the metal beast. The front wheel frame had been practically bent in half. The frame of the bicycle was twisted and the back wheel continued to spin as if a rider was still atop it.

Finally unfrozen, I rushed to her. Are you ok? I asked. The girl looked up at me and did not respond with words. Her gaze was familiar but I couldn’t understand why. She was stunned, I think.

At the same moment, a tall, older man appeared and nudged me out of the way. It was her father. He was an adult after all and likely knew what he was doing more than me. I watched as he brushed away the girl’s tears and comforted his little princess. Soon her cries turned to laughter as he eased her pain by tickling her. Carrie was going to be okay.

My grandfather was also there surveying the scene to see if he could do anything to help with the nearly fatal accident. He saw that she was alright and apologized for the bike. He offered to pay for the damages but her father refused to take any money. Eventually, they were able to come to a settlement of the matter. The old man’s conscience was eased enough when Carrie’s father accepted a ride back to their car. Her dad threw her broken bike in my grandfather’s trunk, helped Carrie into the car, then they drove away.

That moment would stick in my mind until that same girl ten years later would walk back into my world. This is not to say that I looked for her but I never forgot her. The energy that we eventually shared was pure magic. It was impossible to explain except to say that we fell in love very quickly and this is part of our story.

Chapter 1

Here’s to Honor

O NE DAY IN my college dorm room, Ted, my roommate, asked me to go to one of those shallow Pi Gamma Iota frat parties.

Ah man! Those parties are full of d-bags and drunk freshman girls with daddy issues, I said.

My point exactly! Bro, you have to lighten up! You need to just let yourself go for a few hours. Ted was great in these types of moments. He could be very animated and usually convinced or conned people into doing whatever he wanted.

Ted was a handsome six foot tall former high school backup quarterback. He had a frat boy attitude and a slim build that attracted young women to him. He had sandy brown hair that always seemed to stay in place. Looks were very important to him. His clothes were always stylish and he would never leave his room until he looked perfect.

We are in the prime of our lives! We will be working stiffs for the next fifty years, retire for ten and die, Ted explained.

At this point, he was in full salesmen mode and there was no stopping him.

What stories will you have to pass down to your kids’ man? That we stayed in the dorms, turned down chance after chance to meet smoking hot sorority girls?

Come on Ted! I said, hoping that he was done.

No, seriously Bro! One party, one epic night, one chance to meet the girl of your dreams!

Ted could be very dramatic when the situation called for it. The selling point for me was how he said that I had a chance to meet the girl of my dreams. I mean, how could he possibly know this? Furthermore, why would he choose that day to say those words in the way that he said them?

Ted knew that he had cracked me. I looked up at him in that moment. I caught myself. I looked back down and then away. It was too late. Ted was locked in and saw me caving.

Oh, I get it, Ted said.

Ted, you don’t get it.

No, no, Bro I do, he replied.

I gave him a look that said, Yeah right.

I do, he said in a more sincere voice.

You’re looking for… the ONE, he held his hand to his heart in a joking manner but still taking the comment seriously.

Ted shifted from the party idea to a different subject. Flipping through a small black book, he found the page he wanted. Then he jumped on his computer. Boom! Here it is! This is the girl I was telling you about, Sam.

What are you talking about?

The girl from Biology class. Look, come over here and check it out, he said.

Only because I was curious I walked over to the computer to look and see what he was rambling about.

Remember that weird hippie chick I was telling you about? Ted asked.

I gave him a questioning look.

The hippie! The hippie girl that would only give me her name and email! said Ted. He was very excited at this point and disappointed that I couldn’t recall one of his many strikeouts with the members of the female persuasion.

Oh, the hippie girl, yes! I said, finally remembering.

Ted had met this girl but he didn’t get very far with her. He said that she was really weird and always talked about the power of love. She had all of these new-aged thinking ideas. He said that she would go on and on about meeting the right guy and that he was clearly not the right person for her.

In short Ted, she wouldn’t sleep with you. So, you forgot all about her until now.

Look Bro, I’m trying to help you here. She would be great for you. You’re always talking about love and the mushy stuff that girls are in to, said Ted.

That only felt slightly backhanded. I’m sure you meant that as a compliment, I replied.

Just check out her pics on Snap Book. Tell me she’s not cute.

I had to say that the picture I saw was of a very beautiful girl.

Why would a girl like her want to date me? I asked, feeling a little insecure.

Bro, I know she’s out of your league but I can get you a shot. Just talk to her about… her. Chicks dig that kind of crap. It’ll be like a double date so no pressure. I’ve been on a few dates with one of her friends after we decided that we weren’t a match.

And you don’t find anything odd about that? I asked.

Relax, Hippie Chick is the one that set us up. All I have to do is call her friend and make sure we are good to go.

After a few moments of deliberation, I agreed to go on the date. I asked Ted her name.

Caroline, he said.

At the time, it was just a name. Now, I know that she would be the love of my life and the impetus I needed to unleash my abilities. You see, within the powers of love, one can find motivation. Love performs the role of the engine to the heart’s desires.

The phone rang a few times as Ted made the call.

Hello Sara, yeah it’s Ted. I was just hanging here with my bro Sam and uh wanted to see if you were free tonight… Oh, sure uh your hair… uh, I guess Friday night is as good a night as any to wash your hair… Well, that’s a bummer because I was really trying to set up Caroline with my main bud Sam but I guess… Oh, what’s that? What does he look like? Well, I guess he’s kinda handsome. I mean… well, he’s good looking for sure. He’s black and uh clean cut. I don’t know Sara… Okay, seriously though he’s about six-two. He was a swimmer in high school and he is still very fit. Uh, he has dreamy brown eyes. Come on Sara… he’s nice. Caroline would really like him, I think. Is she seeing anyone right now? No? Great! Well… like I said, it’s a bummer you are washing your hair tonight… oh, you’ll wash it tomorrow… Tonight? You and Caroline want to meet tonight? Absolutely! Yep. I know where that is… Late dinner sure, sure. Okay. See you soon. Bye.

And just like that, we had a date set for that night.

Sara was Caroline’s closest friend. They met freshman year of college and hit it off. Outside of classes, it was not hard to find the one if you knew where the other was. They did not like the cattiness and drama that came along with being friends with large groups of women. So, they decided by sophomore year to become roommates and stay clear of the cliques.

So, Care, whacha doin’ tonight? Sara asked.

Nothing, I think I’m going to wash my hair.

Seriously? Sarah asked in a judging way.

Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do, Caroline said, defensively.

You do now.

I do? What? Caroline asked.

You and I have a double date with Ted and his friend Sam.

Come on Sara! These blind dates never work out for me.

That may be, but you know Ted. You guys went out on a date before. You thought we would be great for each other and so far so good. Now we found a guy that might work out for you. What’s the worst that could happen? Sara asked.

Do you really want me to answer that Sara?

Okay, David was a bad set up but how was I supposed to know that he was so into his mother that he’d bring her with him on the date.

I still have the picture of his mother cutting his steak for him in my head. At least she paid for dinner, Caroline commented.

Let’s look Sam up on Snap Book. I’m connected to Ted. He said that Sam was a good guy. How many guys named Sam can he be connected with? Sara asked.

Alright, Caroline said, reluctantly. Sara sat down at her desk and pulled up her social media website. She found Ted’s page and searched for his connected friends. She found two Sams. Me and an old girlfriend of Ted’s from high school.

I’m assuming that the guy is the one we want. Okay, Sam Connelly, said Sara. They scrolled through a few pictures, scrutinizing and judging the different photos and posts on my profile. I wasn’t a big picture taker. But there was one picture that they stopped on with me and Ted standing near the deck of our high school’s swimming pool. Ted was fully clothed. I had just won a race and was only in swim jammers, swim cap, and my shirt was off.

Very nice! said Sara.

Wow, he’s cute. I wonder if he still has those abs, Caroline said.

Let’s see. Oh, this one looks recent. Wow, his muscles are bigger in this one and his arms are really toned. If you aren’t interested, I’ll dump Ted and give him a shot.

That won’t be necessary Sara. I’ll do it for you, Caroline interjected.

Yeah right, for me. Okay well, I already said yes. It’s a good thing you are coming.

The girls took turns in the shower and Sara helped Caroline with her makeup.

You are going to blow Sam away, Sara said.

You look pretty good yourself, said Caroline.

Let’s go have a good time.

It was time for the big date. I do not remember what I wore but I do remember what she had on, but I’ll get to that in a minute. It was a cool Indiana spring evening. I had clammy palms because I didn’t have much experience with the ladies. Most of my time was spent in the pool at swim practices and meets. Getting a scholarship meant putting off girls for a while.

Ted’s voice startled my thought process as he said, Relax Bro, you’ll do fine. Just be yourself. I started to feel calmer. After a few beats, two girls appeared from around the corner.

It felt like forever but it was only a few seconds before they were in plain sight. Both girls were attractive by most standards. Ted’s date, Sara, was five-foot nine, thin build, with black hair. Caroline wore a white flowing sundress with flower prints all over it and a navy blue cardigan. She was about five-foot eight with Golden Blonde hair. Her eyes were a grayish blue. She had the kind of gaze that locks you in and only lets you go when she had decided it was time. She was a classic beauty. One you would see in a black and white movie. Her figure was like a Monroe or Mansfield but she was shy about showing it off. Caroline seemed anxious too. This made me feel less nervous.

Hey Ted, Caroline said.

Hey, Caroline, Ted responded.

Hello there Sara. This is my friend Sam, Ted announced.

Sara nodded and shook my hand.

Caroline, she said with a smile. She placed her soft hand in mine to shake it. Her smile was so inviting. I found comfort in it. The world seemed to stop when she smiled.

Collectively we had decided on a nearby restaurant. Indiana, while not known for its fine cuisine, had a few gems here and there. The one we chose was a nice, quiet place. The lights were dimmed to set the mood for romance. At the center of each table a dimly lit battery powered candle illuminated the white linen table cloths upon which they sat. Each chair was paired with a burgundy red cloth napkin that had the silverware wrapped inside.

We all sat at the table and chatted together. Soon Ted and Sara, having already been on a few dates, started a more private and intimate conversation with each other.

I was smitten right away with Caroline but I couldn’t say why. She was gorgeous, yes. But I’d seen a lot of pretty girls. There was something different about her. I wanted to impress her. I wanted her to like me. I, awkwardly, attempted to start a conversation of my own with her.

So, where are you from?

I’m from here and there and all around, she said.

I gave her a curious look hoping to gain more information from her response.

Oh, I’m sorry. I was born in northern Indiana and I lived in various states and cities. My dad’s job moved us around a lot, she said, seeming almost shy talking about it.

Oh, okay. I didn’t mean to pry.

No, you’re fine, she replied.

After a few minutes of awkward pauses and nervous smiles, I tried again by asking, Have you seen any cool movies? I was not a smooth guy and I felt I was already striking out. Ted gave me a shot and he was right - she was way out of my league.

I’m not too much of a movie person. I’d rather be out in nature. I like to listen to old school R&B when I’m out on a trail. I just put my earbuds in and disappear into myself.

I smiled at her in a judging way. She looked at me and noticed my reaction.

Caroline asked, Why are you looking at me that way?

What do you know about R&B? I asked her skeptically.

There it was again, her smile. It was even brighter now. I know plenty! she said, with a slightly flirtatious tone.

It was around this part of the conversation that Ted and Sara joined back in.

Care is always walking around singing old songs I’ve never heard of, Sara explained.

Oh yeah, well my Bro Sam here can sing like every song that Caroline knows and then two more that she doesn’t. Ted had been known to include me in dares and challenges even though I had no intention to participate and sometimes no idea that it was about to happen.

Ted, I said in a please don’t tone.

I’ve got this Bro! That only meant that I had no choice but to go along with it and I would actually possibly enjoy it more if I didn’t fight it. Let’s do it Sam! Ted demanded.

Ah geez Ted.

He gave me a look with one eyebrow up. Sam…

Alright. I looked at Caroline and Sara. I could tell that they were up for whatever the challenge was. Caroline seemed a little nervous but she was trying to hide it.

Let’s go to Kip’s Pub and get the Karaoke train going! Ted said. He was in full Ted challenge mode.

Kips it is, Sara responded with a look that said, You’ve lost and you have no clue!

We arrived a short time later after walking a few blocks. Kip’s was a nice little hole in the wall joint on the north-east side of town. It had its regulars that sat in their normal seats and the standard pool tables and jukebox. The servers were cute in a plain sort of way. They were also the type of ladies that knew how to handle a guy that got too handsy. We’d frequented Kips from time to time if we felt the urge to sing. Normally, I was in an inebriated state before I was really up for singing. There was a small platform near the back of the bar. It was just big enough for a small band to play. That night, the stage was set up for